Never Make the First Offer: (Except When You Should) Wisdom from a Master Dealmaker

I read this book years ago, but i still use the method and always remember the importance of being patient when negotiating.

When I began to read this book I was somewhat disappointed. It seemed like a series of short bragging pieces; in essence just a good-ol'-boy puffery item. But I humg in and the short pieces developed a pattern of solid information about the variety of negotiating techniques, problems, and fixes. And even some failures which lent credibility to the author.The net is that I am well impressed and I am going to send a copy to each of my grown sons who are not active in the sports world but can well benefit from the insights in this book. In fact, most any one can benefit if only from getting a better leg up on how to negotiate a raise or the purchase of a new car.

Whether you are an attorney, sales person, or just looking to get the best in a deal, Dell does an amazing job outlining his pointers on how to do so. The author uses several short and to-the-point chapters to outline recommendations that are not far-fetched theories. Rather, these are actual concepts that you can put to work right away in any negotiation. Also, the book serves as a bit of a biography about Dell, whom no doubt revolutionized the sports agent industry. At times the stories do get a bit overwhelming to the point of almost being gloating. Nonetheless, there is always something to take away from each of them. The book is also supplemented with "guest" columns in each chapter from industry leaders. These columns are a great perspective on how others implement Dell's proven techniques in their lives.Great read and would recommend!

NEVER MAKE THE FIRST OFFER is an excellent book filled with a variety of sophisticated negotiating tips from a master deal-maker. As a practicing lawyer frequently involved in complex business negotiations, such guidance is priceless. It is also an interesting read chock full of anecdotes from Mr. Dell's lengthy career representing notable tennis stars (Arthur Ashe, Stan Smith, Jimmy Connors, Andy Roddick among many others), basketball players (Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Joaquim Noah, and a wide range of other notable figures (Sargent Shriver, Fred Smith of FedEx, Ted Leonsis of AOL, and Dan Snyder of the Washington Redskins). I recommend this book highly.

This apparent autobiography is nothing more than a catalogue of the "great" deals Donald Dell has negotiated over the course of his career, with the overwhelming undertone of "look at all these amazing deals I've done! Am I not the best ever?!" The book provides zero unique or valuable insight into how a successful deal is negotiated. Each of his repetitive and unoriginal points can be summarized into the three categories of 1) Networking is important 2) Don't screw people over and 3) Just be really really talented, like me, and you'll make great deals. Groundbreaking.The vignettes about athletes, their personalities, and their influence on the deals (what I was most interested to read this book for, after all Donald Dell can accurately be described as the father of the modern sports agent/athlete relationship) are few and far between and ultimately leave you unsatisfied. As does the book in general.

I am about a third of the way through this, my first book on business tips, and very dissapointed. The concept is good - provide lessons on business negotiations through the framework of stories and negotiations with famous athletes and successful sports figures. The execution, in my opinion, is poor. The stories do not very well illustrate the principals Dell is purportedly trying to convey. There is alot of history about how successful he is and his famous clients and deals, but so far very little tangible advice to take away. The book is dissapointing and has not met my expectations.

I enjoyed this book. Mr. Dell provided some very helpful tips for those seeking business relationships (long-standing relationships).However, after this read and David Falk's "The Bald Truth" you cannot tell who was the real negotiator behind some of the basketball players contracts.

This book was good, it didnt meet all my expectations. as i was expecting some negotiation tips, and strategies. and this book was more about storytelling. it was still a great read

Buen libro pero si no conoces nada de tenis es difícil imaginar y sobre todo saber de que habla el libro

Goes directly to the point of things. Simple to read and easy to enjoy.

Good insights for all kind of negotiations, personal and professional.Pleasure reading, with many examples taken for the real (sports) world.I read it twice!

conseils d'un vieux de la vieille américain, qui séduira les passionnés de sport et en particulier de tennisphilosophie de vie en quelque sorteéclairage sur le métier d'agent de sportif, et d'assistant parlementaire US